Am I eating enough?

Rich_NJ
Rich_NJ Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,

I have a couple of questions. I've been keeping very healthy with my eating habits, exercising regularly, but haven't seen the scale move in a few weeks now...other than fluctuating up and down a few pounds. I feel great, clothes are fitting better, but I'm getting frustrated with the scale. I know I shouldn't be, but I was wondering if I'm not eating enough calories for my size and activity level. Would TOO large of a calorie deficit hinder my weight loss?

Here's my background. 4 months ago I weighed in at 450lbs. As of today, and the past few weeks, I've been a constant 389lbs. I know that's a good amount of weight lost in such a short time, but I've seemed to have stalled now and I've actually increased my exercising in the past few weeks as well...this is around the same time I noticed the weight staying constant.

I joined crossfit, and absolutely love it. I started going 2 days a week..now I'm going 4. Monday to Thursday. Even for someone my size, I've always been athletic, so I'm keeping up with the workouts without a problem. Just for being 389lbs, I'm burning a ton of calories while doing it. On the weekends I've been going hiking every Saturday or Sunday. I've been doing between 4 and 7 miles on the hikes...this also should be burning a ton of calories for my size.

For nutrition, I think I've been eating very healthy. I'm tracking my food intake, and I'm between 1500 and 1800 calories a day. Breakfast is 2 hard boiled eggs and an apple. Lunch I will have a large salad, no dressing but a can of tuna in vegetable oil on it and half an avocado. Dinner is usually 2 or 3 pieces of chicken breasts or thighs, with broccoli and cauliflower. For a snack I will eat almonds, and have an apple. I'm drinking lots of water also.

So it is possible that I'm not eating enough calories throughout the day? I feel great...a little tired sometimes, but I contribute that to the intense workouts I've been doing.

Thanks for any advice,

Rich

Replies

  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    If you're tired, you may not be eating enough. Or maybe you're not sleeping enough. Or you're sick. Or who knows what? I don't know.

    Please have a doctor overseeing your weight loss journey. It's the smart way to go about this. You want to be sure you are and remain healthy and nobody is qualified to do that online. It's one little visit and you get tons of good advice, from someone qualified to give it, that is all about you, specifically.

    Congratulations on your loss!! So awesome!
  • Rich_NJ
    Rich_NJ Posts: 5
    Thanks Kalikel!

    I did see a doctor before I started this..he gave me the OK and the normal speech of do things in moderation. I'm honestly not too sure how much I trust doctors in general though. Usually when they see an overweight person come in....they say loosing weight is the cure all for just about everything. maybe they're right?
  • dwarfiegodsmack
    dwarfiegodsmack Posts: 317 Member
    i would say definitely up your calories. i know everyone is different but i am a woman, 43, 5'3", 179 lbs and i have been losing on 1650-1750 cals per day.

    i would think someone at 398 lbs could certainly lose on alot more calories. why not try 2200 for a few weeks and see how that works for you. and even 2200 may not be enough
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
    Two part answer. Is eating more going to cause LONG TERM weight loss to increase? NO. If your calorie count is accurate, barring any severe metabolic disorder, you should be in a caloric deficit. Probably a very large deficit. You are likely retaining water which will resolve over time. If you upped calories, you might see some short term weight losses but again, this is due to water retention changes, not actual fat losses.

    Do I personally think 1500-1800 calories a day is too little for someone your weight and with your activity level? Yes. It's not dangerously low or anything like that, but I'd personally increase by about 500 calories. You have a long journey ahead and I think that keeping calories so low might make you more likely to binge, grow tired of dieting, have low energy, or experience a number of other negative occurrences. I think you should still be in a pretty large deficit even eating 2000-2500 calories.

    This is all contingent on your daily calorie counts being accurate. Many people underestimate how much they eat. Do you have cheat days? If so how often? Do you weigh all your food on a scale or do you use measuring cups and tablespoons (those are meant for liquids), or worse, do you simply estimate? Do you eat out or have food you did not prepare (and weigh) often? All of those things can GREATLY effect your daily calorie average.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Thanks Kalikel!

    I did see a doctor before I started this..he gave me the OK and the normal speech of do things in moderation. I'm honestly not too sure how much I trust doctors in general though. Usually when they see an overweight person come in....they say loosing weight is the cure all for just about everything. maybe they're right?
    Bad or lazy doctors will blame everything on the fat and assume it's your fault you got fat. Good doctors will check everything.

    Losing weight is the cute for a lot. I'm already feeling SO MUCH better. Stronger. Less aches and pains. Sleep better. Just everything. I'm still about fifteen pounds from a normal BMI, too. :)

    If you're tired, you could have sleep apnea. If you sleep with someone else and they notice that you stop breathing and snore a lot, it's something to look into. Very common for people who are really fat. Needs to be addressed.

    When someone complains of tiredness, it can be so many, many different things! A dieter might assume it's calorie-related. A good doctor knows it can be a bunch of stuff. It would be wrong for us to make an assumption that it's calories, diagnose that and advise you to just eat more when there could be a medical reason for it and eating more would make it worse, not better.

    But you have to do what is right for YOU, not what everyone on the Internet (including me) says. :)

    If you eat extra for a few days or a week and the Tired doesn't go away, think about going in.

    Good luck on your journey. You're doing so awesome!
  • skruttan44
    skruttan44 Posts: 86 Member
    Two part answer. Is eating more going to cause LONG TERM weight loss to increase? NO. If your calorie count is accurate, barring any severe metabolic disorder, you should be in a caloric deficit. Probably a very large deficit. You are likely retaining water which will resolve over time. If you upped calories, you might see some short term weight losses but again, this is due to water retention changes, not actual fat losses.

    Do I personally think 1500-1800 calories a day is too little for someone your weight and with your activity level? Yes. It's not dangerously low or anything like that, but I'd personally increase by about 500 calories. You have a long journey ahead and I think that keeping calories so low might make you more likely to binge, grow tired of dieting, have low energy, or experience a number of other negative occurrences. I think you should still be in a pretty large deficit even eating 2000-2500 calories.

    This is all contingent on your daily calorie counts being accurate. Many people underestimate how much they eat. Do you have cheat days? If so how often? Do you weigh all your food on a scale or do you use measuring cups and tablespoons (those are meant for liquids), or worse, do you simply estimate? Do you eat out or have food you did not prepare (and weigh) often? All of those things can GREATLY effect your daily calorie average.

    Listen to vismal....he knows what he talks about, great advice :flowerforyou:
  • Rich_NJ
    Rich_NJ Posts: 5
    Thank you everyone for all the responses!!

    My food counting is mostly an estimate on portion size. But the kind of food is pretty much spot on. The only think I haven't taken account for is my coffee habit. That could also explain the excess water retention. I'm not yet ready to give up on the coffee yet, but I should cut down. Right now I drink about 4 to 5 cups a day...man sized cups that is :) Light cream and a splenda.

    I do have cheat days once in a while..but I don't think my cheat days are that bad. I'll have sweet potato slices baked in coconut oil, or I'll have sushi with rice. I've been trying to stay away from grains, so for me the rice is a cheat.

    I think I will try to increase my calories. I'm thinking about adding in a good protein shake in the morning. I was using one made by "Eat The Bear". I would mix it with either plain water or Almond milk if I have it. I know I'm not eating enough for breakfast right now.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    If you were eating too few calories, your weight would be dropping like a rock.

    So whatever else is going on, you're not eating too little.

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